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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: stem · saw · court · net · face · arm · capital · degree

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to confront
  6. court — for sport
  7. face — part of the head
  8. court — of law
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. net — in sport
  11. capital — money
  12. stem — to come from
  13. face — to point toward
  14. degree — an amount
  15. court — of a king
  16. degree — from a university
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — a city
  24. arm — part of the body

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