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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: chip · spell · cell · bark · cap · capital

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cell — a phone
  15. capital — a city
  16. spell — letters
  17. capital — money
  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