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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: stand · land · kid · bank · coach · capital · temple · fine

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — a country
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — ground
  8. kid — child
  9. capital — money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. capital — a city
  14. fine — all right
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. kid — to tease
  20. land — to come down
  21. stand — to bear
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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