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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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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: toast · stem · capital · spring · cue · deal · saw · sharp

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spring — of water
  9. cue — a signal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. toast — bread
  12. capital — money
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. saw — the tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. sharp — clever
  21. deal — to handle
  22. capital — a city
  23. spring — the season
  24. sharp — with an edge

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