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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: trunk · stem · can · firm · present · deal · clip · capital

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. can — a tin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. firm — decided
  6. capital — money
  7. present — the time now
  8. clip — to cut
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. firm — a company
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. capital — a city
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. deal — to handle
  16. firm — steady
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. stem — to come from
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. deal — an agreement

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