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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · bass · capital · drill · press · present · perch · calf

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. press — a publisher
  7. capital — money
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. present — the time now
  12. drill — army training
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. present — there
  16. capital — a city
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. present — a gift
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. capital — a big letter

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