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

Word bank: stick · face · capital · cabinet · cap · tear

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cap — of ice
  9. capital — money
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. face — to confront
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cap — a lid

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