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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: season · board · capital · craft · pop · stem · kick · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. capital — a city
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pop — soda
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pop — to visit
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. capital — money
  11. rash — a series
  12. board — a committee
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pop — music
  15. season — in sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — hasty
  19. board — to get on
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. craft — boats
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kick — in football
  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