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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 120 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: stand · hide · capital · field · band · mate · lash · tube

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. field — a subject
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. field — for sport
  16. stand — to bear
  17. capital — money
  18. band — a music group
  19. tube — a container
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. field — farmland
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mate — a partner

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