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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · scale · mine · wound · kid · stand · mug · cabinet

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kid — to tease
  17. scale — in music
  18. mug — a face
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — money
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kid — child

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