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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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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: capital · coach · fan · cap · race · band · tear · temple

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cap — of ice
  3. capital — a city
  4. cap — a lid
  5. race — a contest
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. band — a ring
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a hat
  15. band — a music group
  16. tear — from crying
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. capital — money
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tear — to rip
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — humankind

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