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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: tube · bound · trunk · stem · chip · deal · capital · date

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. tube — a container
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. deal — to handle
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bound — certain
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. capital — money
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. capital — a city
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. chip — to eat

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