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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: land · nail · mug · trunk · rock · capital · net · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. mug — a cup
  3. capital — a city
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — money
  6. land — ground
  7. net — in sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — after costs
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mug — a face
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mug — to rob
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — to come down
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rock — music
  22. land — a country
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rock — a stone

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