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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: jam · mark · capital · fall · pound · temple · field · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mark — a trace
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. capital — money
  22. field — a subject
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pound — to hit hard

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