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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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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: capital · pass · stem · fork · rest · bark · fall · saw

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — a break
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bark — to shout
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. capital — money
  22. fall — the season
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. stem — a stem cell

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