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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: mouse · capital · rush · stem · cap · rest · shower · march

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — hurry
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rest — a break
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — money
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. march — music
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rush — a thrill

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