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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 116 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: stem · pop · ball · stand · cap · clip · nail · capital

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stem — to come from
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pop — music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. clip — a video
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. capital — money
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pop — soda
  21. cap — of ice
  22. ball — a great time
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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