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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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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: hand · capital · stem · wind · date · foot · stick · bound

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — certain
  24. date — on the calendar

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