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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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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 · temple · band · ruler · spring · chair · pound · bat

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. spring — of water
  7. band — a ring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spring — the season
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chair — a leader
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rest — a break
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pound — for dogs
  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