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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
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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: stem · cue · lie · bank · capital · board · track · degree

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. capital — a city
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bank — of a river
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cue — a hint
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lie — to recline
  11. capital — money
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — a committee
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. track — a path
  22. bank — for money
  23. board — to get on
  24. stem — to come from

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