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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: season · current · pop · capital · bear · tear · temple · ground

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. tear — from crying
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bear — the animal
  5. current — of water
  6. tear — to rip
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ground — the earth
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pop — music
  13. current — happening now
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. current — electric
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. capital — money
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. capital — a city
  24. ground — crushed

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