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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · squash · bass · key · chest · band · land · row

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. chest — a box
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the fish
  7. land — a country
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bass — low music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. key — for a lock
  14. squash — to crush
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. key — in music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. land — ground
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — the sport
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. band — a music group
  24. land — to come down

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