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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: capital · spell · stand · wake · hide · staff · club · land

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. staff — employees
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spell — magic
  6. club — a group
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spell — letters
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. land — to come down
  12. staff — employees
  13. spell — a short time
  14. capital — money
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. club — for golf
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — a city
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stand — on your feet

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