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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: coach · jam · capital · lean · deal · wound · temple · fall

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lean — thin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lean — to bend
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — money

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