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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 · temple · calf · bear · stem · mine · vault · ground

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. capital — a city
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mine — for digging
  24. vault — a safe

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