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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: stand · capital · swing · temple · spring · board · pop · rush

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. board — a committee
  3. spring — a coil
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spring — of water
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pop — to visit
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. capital — a city
  12. rush — hurry
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. swing — to play on
  16. capital — money
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — the season
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. swing — music

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