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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · bass · present · capital · tube · fall · stem · branch

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — low music
  4. tube — a container
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. present — there
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fall — the season
  9. tube — the underground
  10. capital — money
  11. roll — a list
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. roll — a cake
  14. capital — a city
  15. present — the time now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — a gift
  18. stem — to come from
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bass — the fish
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. branch — a division
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com