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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: leaves · fall · stem · pit · club · deal · straw · cap

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. club — for golf
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cap — a lid
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pit — in a race
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fall — the season
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cap — a hat
  24. club — a group

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