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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lean — to bend
  8. band — a music group
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — certain
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pass — a permit
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — a gift
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. lean — thin

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