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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spell — magic
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. bore — to tire
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — letters
  24. capital — money

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