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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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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: race · capital · mug · current · fall · stem · perch · firm

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. firm — a company
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fall — to drop
  6. current — electric
  7. mug — a face
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mug — a cup
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. fall — the season
  13. current — happening now
  14. race — a contest
  15. capital — money
  16. mug — to rob
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fall — to drop
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. current — of water
  24. race — humankind

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