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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: bear · capital · coach · nail · stand · spell · file · fall

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fall — the season
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — letters
  16. file — a document
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — money
  19. file — a tool
  20. stand — to bear
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bear — the animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. coach — a trainer

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