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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: temple · saw · band · key · march · bore · cell · rash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. key — in music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bore — to tire
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cell — in biology
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. key — for a lock
  20. march — the month
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cell — in a prison

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