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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: wax · root · cap · stem · foot · toast · hand · capital

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. cap — a hat
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. stem — to come from
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. toast — bread
  7. capital — a city
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. root — of a word
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. root — the cause
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. capital — a big letter
  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