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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.

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: season · temple · bat · craft · band · chair · plane · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. band — a ring
  3. chair — a leader
  4. season — in sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. season — of the year
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. plane — a tool
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. band — a music group
  15. bat — the animal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spring — the season
  24. craft — a skill

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