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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: cap · stand · mine · swing · present · capital · track · bear

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — a path
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. capital — money
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stand — to bear
  11. capital — a city
  12. track — a song
  13. bear — the animal
  14. track — to keep track
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cap — of ice
  17. present — a gift
  18. mine — for digging
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. present — the time now
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. present — there

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