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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 116 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: bulb · spring · stand · cap · kick · stem · shower · capital

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. capital — a city
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. capital — money
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kick — in football
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stand — for spectators

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