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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: face · kick · fine · stem · wax · racket · jam · capital

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fine — all right
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. capital — a city
  21. fine — high quality
  22. capital — money
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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