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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: wind · capital · trunk · ball · coach · pitch · stand · band

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. band — a ring
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. capital — money
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. band — a music group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. ball — a great time
  24. capital — a city

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