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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 120 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: capital · mouse · rest · stem · snap · track · bulb · pit

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. track — a path
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. snap — to click
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. capital — a city
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. track — a song
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rest — a break
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pit — in a race
  24. track — to keep track

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