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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: nail · coach · swing · capital · mark · wax · season · temple

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. swing — music
  5. capital — a city
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. capital — money
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — of the year
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. season — in sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. swing — in golf
  24. nail — for a hammer

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