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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · spring · wave · stand · file · cell · capital · staff

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cell — a phone
  11. spring — the season
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. capital — a city
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — after costs
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. file — a document
  20. capital — money
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spring — a coil

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