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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: capital · spring · land · temple · wound · track · vault · mug

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mug — a face
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. capital — money
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spring — of water
  12. track — a song
  13. mug — to rob
  14. land — a country
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wound — an injury
  17. capital — a city
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — a cup
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — the season

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