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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: wave · stand · roll · toast · hand · capital · temple · land

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. roll — a list
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. toast — bread
  15. hand — help
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. stand — to bear
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. toast — the most admired

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