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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: board · band · pitcher · capital · clip · stem · cell · firm

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. firm — steady
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. band — a ring
  6. board — to get on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. capital — money
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cell — a phone
  14. clip — for paper
  15. board — a committee
  16. band — a music group
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. firm — decided
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — to come from
  23. firm — a company
  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