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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: stem · capital · cap · cue · bass · pop · chip · leaves

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. capital — a city
  3. pop — soda
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bass — low music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pop — music
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cue — for pool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cue — a hint
  16. capital — money
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cue — a signal

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