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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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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: capital · stem · fork · stand · band · toast

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. band — a ring
  4. capital — money
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. capital — a city
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stem — to come from
  13. band — a music group
  14. toast — bread
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. toast — the most admired

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