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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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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: swing · capital · stick · court · game · stem · fork · rock

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rock — music
  8. court — of a king
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — money
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. court — for sport
  16. swing — music
  17. court — of law
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fork — in a road
  22. capital — a city
  23. rock — a stone
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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