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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 116 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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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 · clip · court · lean · capital · present · mate · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lean — to bend
  3. clip — a video
  4. court — of a king
  5. rock — music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. court — for sport
  9. clip — for paper
  10. capital — a city
  11. present — the time now
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. clip — to cut
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. court — of law
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mate — a partner
  21. lean — thin
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stem — to come from
  24. capital — money

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