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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.

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: stock · capital · saw · stem · present · mine · cap · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — for digging
  6. capital — money
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. present — there
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stem — to come from
  14. present — a gift
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — the time now
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. cap — a hat

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