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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 120 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: bass · band · temple · bound · lash · cell · hand · ground

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bass — low music
  3. band — a ring
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bound — tied together
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — a position
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — help
  22. band — a music group
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ground — the earth

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