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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 · ground · wax · fine · lie · branch · net · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — for catching
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. net — in sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. net — after costs
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — money
  22. ground — a position
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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