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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: lean · mate · present · pound · temple · capital · mine · spell

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. capital — money
  4. spell — a short time
  5. present — there
  6. lean — to bend
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spell — magic
  12. capital — a city
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. present — a gift
  16. lean — thin
  17. spell — letters
  18. mate — a friend
  19. present — the time now
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  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