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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: safe · temple · rest · band · hand · capital · march · mouse

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. capital — a city
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. march — music
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. march — the month
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rest — what's left
  10. march — the month
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hand — help
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. band — a music group
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rest — a break
  19. capital — money
  20. hand — in cards
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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