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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: bank · stand · cell · capital · staff · spring

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. capital — a city
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spring — the season
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bank — for money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. spring — of water
  18. staff — employees

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