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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: foot · stem · firm · spring · band · cap · capital · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cap — a lid
  10. firm — steady
  11. capital — a city
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. firm — a company
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stem — to come from
  23. firm — decided
  24. band — a rubber band

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