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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: mate · season · last · bass · bound · row · cap · temple

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bound — obliged
  4. last — to go on
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — low music
  7. row — to paddle
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cap — a lid
  11. season — in sport
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bound — certain
  14. last — final
  15. mate — a partner
  16. last — finally
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. mate — a friend
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cap — a hat

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