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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.

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: patient · stem · capital · game · foot · cue · tube · trunk

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. tube — a container
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. game — wild animals
  8. capital — a city
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. tube — the underground
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cue — for pool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cue — a hint

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