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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: foot · coach · band · firm · spell · fan · stem · capital

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. firm — decided
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. spell — letters
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. firm — steady
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — money
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. firm — a company
  21. capital — a city
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. band — a rubber band

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