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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: fan · field · toast · bark · content · stem · capital · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. capital — a city
  4. object — an aim
  5. field — for sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. field — farmland
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. object — to protest
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. field — a subject
  22. capital — money
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fan — a supporter

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