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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: rash · pop · wake · can · degree · last · temple · capital

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. last — to go on
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. degree — from a university
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pop — soda
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. rash — a series
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. pop — to visit
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rash — hasty
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pop — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. degree — temperature
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. can — to be able to

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