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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 · stand · band · season · capital · row · trunk · snap

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. band — a music group
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — money
  5. snap — to click
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. row — a line
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. season — in sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stand — to bear
  14. season — of the year
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. band — a ring
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — to add flavour
  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