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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: stem · stick · capital · last · jam · file · key · squash

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. stem — to come from
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. last — finally
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. last — to go on
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. last — final
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. file — a line of people
  18. capital — a city
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. capital — money
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. file — a document
  24. jam — a tight spot

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