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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 · straw · bowl · stick · spell · cap · stem · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spell — magic
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. stem — to come from
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. capital — a city
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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