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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: content · can · stem · rash · stand · firm · capital · saw

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stand — to bear
  3. can — a tin
  4. content — the amount
  5. can — a tin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rash — hasty
  8. firm — decided
  9. capital — a city
  10. saw — the tool
  11. capital — money
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stem — to come from
  17. firm — a company
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rash — a series
  20. firm — steady
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. can — to be able to
  24. saw — the tool

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