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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: firm · hide · date · coach · capital · wind · mate · stem

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. capital — a city
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. firm — steady
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mate — a friend
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. firm — a company
  22. date — the fruit
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mate — to breed

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