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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: present · rush · lie · stem · bore · foot · capital · cell

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. present — there
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cell — in biology
  12. present — the time now
  13. capital — money
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. present — a gift
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. capital — a city

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