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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: stand · stock · capital · spring · fork · coach · pass · arm

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pass — a permit
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stock — shares
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. capital — a city
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stand — to bear
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. fork — in a road
  21. spring — the season
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stock — goods

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