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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
468
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: stand · land · capital · fine · cap · mate · bark · stem

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. capital — a city
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mate — a friend
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fine — all right
  24. cap — a lid

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