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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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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: fall · capital · band · rest · fan · leaves · stem · stand

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fall — the season
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stand — to bear
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. band — a ring
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. band — a music group
  24. fan — a supporter

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