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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: straw · can · temple · patient · capital · kid · bat · coach

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kid — to tease
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. can — to be able to
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. capital — a city
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bat — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. temple — a place of worship

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