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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · drill · kick · pitcher · fan · capital · foot · stem

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. capital — a city
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — money
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. drill — army training
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kick — in football
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — a practice
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. squash — the sport
  24. drill — the tool

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