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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: season · cell · bank · mate · charge · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — of the year
  8. charge — a price
  9. bank — of a river
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a ring
  15. bank — for money
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — in control
  18. mate — to breed

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