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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: season · band · wave · roll · fine · spell · chest · trunk

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. band — a music group
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — all right
  6. spell — a short time
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. spell — letters
  15. season — in sport
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. band — a ring
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spell — magic
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. season — of the year
  23. fine — high quality
  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