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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: swing · stick · spring · wave · stand · nail · temple · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — of water
  6. swing — to play on
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a city
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spring — the season
  14. capital — money
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. spring — a coil
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wave — of the sea

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