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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: band · spring · capital · temple · chip · trunk · ball · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. capital — money
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ball — a dance
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. chip — to eat
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. roll — a cake
  11. spring — the season
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a great time
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. spring — of water
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. band — a ring
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. capital — a city

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