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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: capital · cue · wound · temple · date · key · fall · lean

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. date — the fruit
  3. capital — money
  4. key — in music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lean — to bend
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — the season
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — for pool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. key — for a lock
  19. capital — a city
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cue — a signal

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