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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 · tube · rash · firm · perch · object · capital · stem

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. object — a thing
  3. season — of the year
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — a company
  6. rash — hasty
  7. capital — a city
  8. object — an aim
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. perch — the fish
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. firm — steady
  16. object — to protest
  17. tube — a container
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. capital — money
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rash — a series
  23. firm — decided
  24. season — to add flavour

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