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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: fan · temple · ground · chest · band · key · roll · rest

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ground — a position
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ground — the earth
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — in music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rest — a break
  14. band — a ring
  15. ground — crushed
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. key — for a lock
  19. chest — a box
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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