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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: fine · club · capital · mine · pound · stem · lean · fall

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mine — for digging
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. club — a group
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. lean — thin
  23. fine — all right
  24. capital — a city

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