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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: tube · rest · leaves · deal · temple · file · ground · capital

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tube — a container
  5. capital — money
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rest — a break
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rest — what's left
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ground — crushed
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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