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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: mine · foot · tube · cap · row · stock · capital · bay

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. capital — money
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. capital — a city
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. stock — shares
  22. mine — for digging
  23. row — a line
  24. foot — a measure

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