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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: date · drill · stem · capital · pitcher · suit · saw · trunk

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. suit — in cards
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stem — to come from
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. suit — to fit
  22. drill — a practice
  23. capital — money
  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