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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: capital · bass · net · pit · cap · saw · stem · spell

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cap — a lid
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bass — low music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — for catching
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pit — in a race
  13. net — after costs
  14. cap — of ice
  15. spell — letters
  16. capital — a city
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. net — in sport
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bass — the instrument

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