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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 · nail · fine · last · leaves · temple · tear · rest

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — final
  9. tear — to rip
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fine — high quality
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. tear — from crying
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. tear — from crying
  21. capital — a city
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fine — all right
  24. capital — a big letter

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