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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: patient · band · lie · rest · capital · tube · season · temple

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. capital — a city
  9. season — of the year
  10. rest — what's left
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. capital — money
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — the underground
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. tube — a container

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