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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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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bound — tied together
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. branch — a division
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — in sport
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rock — music
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. temple — a place of worship

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