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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: suit · cabinet · cell · cap · bat · capital · spell · prune

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — a lid
  4. suit — to fit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — a city
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spell — letters
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cap — of ice
  16. capital — money
  17. spell — magic
  18. cell — a phone
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cell — in biology
  22. suit — clothes
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bat — the animal

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