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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: track · game · board · cue · capital · chest · date · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cue — a hint
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — money
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — a song
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. board — a committee
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — a city
  24. stem — to come from

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