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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.

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: mate · capital · cell · stem · board · present · sharp · rash

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cell — in biology
  3. capital — money
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mate — to breed
  6. capital — a city
  7. present — there
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. board — to get on
  12. sharp — clever
  13. board — a committee
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cell — a phone
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. present — a gift
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mate — a partner
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. present — the time now
  24. cell — in a prison

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