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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: net · bark · stem · fall · hide · mug · rest · capital

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. capital — money
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rest — what's left
  9. capital — a city
  10. rest — a break
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — in sport
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mug — a face
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — after costs
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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