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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: capital · cap · wound · plane · current · cue · rest · stand

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called 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. current — of water
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rest — a break
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — happening now
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. capital — money
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. current — electric
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — in geometry

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