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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: stock · capital · bound · plane · bay · can · row · cap

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cap — a hat
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cap — a lid
  5. row — a line
  6. capital — a city
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stock — goods
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. can — a tin
  13. bound — obliged
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. stock — shares
  18. bound — tied together
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. cap — of ice
  24. capital — money

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