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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · capital · temple · pass · can · staff · spell · saw

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. capital — a city
  7. can — to be able to
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. staff — a stick
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. capital — money
  14. ground — crushed
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. spell — letters
  18. can — a tin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. staff — employees
  23. ground — a position
  24. pass — a permit

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