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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: stand · suit · can · capital · scale · lash · mine · wound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — in music
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — to fit
  10. capital — money
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. scale — size or range
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — an eyelash

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