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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 116 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: capital · court · stem · saw · mug · track · leaves · deal

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. track — a path
  3. mug — a face
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. deal — to handle
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. court — for sport
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. stem — to come from
  10. track — to keep track
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — a song
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. court — of a king
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. capital — a city
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. capital — money
  24. court — of law

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