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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 120 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: capital · fork · stem · squash · pass · shower · dip · fine

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pass — a permit
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. squash — the sport
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fork — in a road
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fine — all right
  21. capital — a city
  22. fine — high quality
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pass — to spend 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