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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 120 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: arm · capital · can · last · drill · spring · foot · stock

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stock — shares
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. last — finally
  5. stock — goods
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. foot — a measure
  13. capital — money
  14. spring — of water
  15. can — to be able to
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. drill — army training
  19. can — a tin
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. drill — a practice
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — the season

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