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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: capital · band · racket · present · season · bank · stand · cell

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. capital — money
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bank — for money
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stand — to bear
  7. capital — a city
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. season — of the year
  13. band — a ring
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bank — for money
  17. present — there
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. present — the time now
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. present — a gift
  23. bank — of a river
  24. season — in sport

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