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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.

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: last · swing · season · capital · plane · trunk · stand · temple

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. swing — to play on
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — to bear
  14. season — in sport
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. swing — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. plane — a tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. plane — in geometry

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