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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: tube · bark · capital · club · pass · mouse · stem · spell

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. capital — a city
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pass — a permit
  15. club — for golf
  16. spell — letters
  17. tube — a container
  18. spell — magic
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — a short time

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