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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 · temple · straw · toast · clip · wake

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — a video
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. clip — for paper
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. capital — a city
  12. toast — bread
  13. capital — money
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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