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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 120 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: bass · capital · fan · game · safe · stem · saw · fork

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. capital — a city
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stem — to come from
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. capital — money

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