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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: present · rash · cap · bound · temple · capital · mine · scale

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. present — there
  4. cap — a hat
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — a lid
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. present — the time now
  11. rash — hasty
  12. present — a gift
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — money
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rash — a series
  24. scale — in music

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