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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: leaves · dip · chair · perch · stem · capital · mark · bear

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stem — to come from
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bear — the animal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chair — a leader
  13. capital — money
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mark — a grade
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. capital — a city
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. dip — a sauce

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