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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · capital · lie · bat · stem · present · nail · object

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — a city
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — the animal
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. present — a gift
  9. object — an aim
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. capital — money
  14. present — the time now
  15. object — a thing
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. object — to protest
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. nail — for a hammer

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