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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: mine · pass · stand · toast · capital · file · bank · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. toast — bread
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — help
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — money
  24. mine — for digging

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