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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: rest · scale · bore · row · racket · cabinet · stem · capital

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bore — to drill
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rest — a break
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — money
  9. scale — in music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. capital — a city
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a line
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bore — to tire

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