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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.

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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: season · capital · dip · arm · ball · ground · stem · band

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ground — the earth
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. ball — a dance
  10. season — of the year
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. band — a ring
  16. dip — to sink
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. capital — a city
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. ball — a great time
  23. capital — money
  24. stem — a stem cell

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