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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 116 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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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: bound · craft · track · stem · wave · pass · cold · capital

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. track — a path
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stem — to come from
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pass — a permit
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. track — to keep track
  16. capital — a city
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. track — a song
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. craft — boats
  24. capital — money

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