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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: mug · mate · cap · stock · staff · capital · craft · wax

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. staff — a stick
  3. capital — money
  4. stock — goods
  5. mate — to breed
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. craft — boats
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cap — a lid
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — employees
  15. mug — a face
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — shares
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wax — to grow
  24. capital — a city

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