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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: drill · bear · toast · stem · cap · capital

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. 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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. capital — money
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cap — a lid
  10. toast — bread
  11. drill — army training
  12. capital — a city
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bear — the animal
  18. 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