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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kid — child
  4. spring — a coil
  5. capital — money
  6. kid — to tease
  7. suit — clothes
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. band — a ring
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spring — of water
  13. chip — to eat
  14. band — a music group
  15. spring — the season
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. capital — a city
  21. bank — for money
  22. suit — in cards
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. suit — to fit

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