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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · date · capital · chest · suit · spring · deal · rock

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chest — of your body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. suit — to fit
  7. capital — money
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. capital — a city
  11. spring — a coil
  12. suit — clothes
  13. deal — to handle
  14. date — the fruit
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spring — of water
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spring — the season
  20. rock — music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. suit — in cards
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — a big letter

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