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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: capital · net · swing · stem · lash · toast · club · face

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. capital — a city
  6. stem — to come from
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. club — for golf
  13. face — to point toward
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. toast — bread
  20. net — for catching
  21. capital — money
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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