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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: coach · capital · temple · net · land · wave · rock · bound

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. land — to come down
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — ground
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rock — music
  10. net — after costs
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. capital — a city
  19. net — for catching
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — a country
  23. bound — certain
  24. capital — 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