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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 · foot · stem · dip · toast · season · face · capital

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — of ice
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. toast — bread
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — part of the head
  10. capital — a city
  11. cap — a lid
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — to confront
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. capital — money
  20. dip — to sink
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stem — to come from
  23. foot — a measure
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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