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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: tube · capital · arm · coach · root · temple · field · wax

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — a city
  7. field — farmland
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. field — a subject
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. capital — money
  16. tube — a container
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. root — the cause
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. temple — side of the head

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