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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: land · tube · capital · mine · content · row · jam · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. capital — a city
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. row — a line
  10. content — happy
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. capital — money
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mine — for digging
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cap — a hat
  21. content — the amount
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tube — a container

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