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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 · capital · rock · rest · temple · snap · bass · bank

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rock — music
  4. bank — of a river
  5. season — of the year
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bass — the fish
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. season — in sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. snap — to click
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rest — a break
  18. bass — low music
  19. bank — for money
  20. rest — what's left
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bank — for money

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