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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: bat · stem · cap · mark · club · object · stick · sharp

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. object — a thing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mark — a grade
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. object — an aim
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. object — to protest
  24. bat — for baseball

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