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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: pass · bear · drill · capital · leaves · can · ground · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. drill — the tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. pass — a permit
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. capital — money
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ground — the earth
  20. capital — a city
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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