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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: cabinet · capital · wake · mark · bat · stand · stick · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. capital — a city
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. capital — money
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — the animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — to bear
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. field — for sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wake — before a funeral

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