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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 120 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 · temple · root · chest · cabinet · land · charge · band

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. band — a music group
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chest — a box
  8. root — of a word
  9. land — to come down
  10. root — the cause
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. land — a country
  13. charge — a price
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. root — of a plant
  18. charge — in control
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. land — ground
  24. band — a ring

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