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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: file · hide · capital · kid · stand · bank · land · stem

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stand — to bear
  5. file — a tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bank — for money
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. land — a country
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a document
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. capital — a city
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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