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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: rest · band · shower · land · current · plane · bass · temple

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — rain
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. current — electric
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. band — a ring
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — to wash
  13. current — happening now
  14. bass — low music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. land — ground
  17. plane — a tool
  18. band — a music group
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. current — of water
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rest — a break

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