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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: stem · board · net · mouse · cap · ground · season · capital

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. board — a committee
  4. ground — the earth
  5. net — after costs
  6. cap — a hat
  7. season — of the year
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ground — a position
  18. net — for catching
  19. season — in sport
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. board — to get on
  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