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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: stem · stock · capital · trunk · bound · wind · suit · fall

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. suit — clothes
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. suit — to fit
  9. stock — goods
  10. capital — a city
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stock — shares
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bound — certain
  21. suit — in cards
  22. stem — to come from
  23. capital — money
  24. fall — to drop

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