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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 120 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: temple · ground · lash · bank · field · band · swing · dip

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bank — for money
  5. swing — music
  6. bank — for money
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bank — of a river
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — a subject
  13. ground — a position
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. field — farmland
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ground — the earth
  20. dip — to sink
  21. swing — in golf
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. field — for sport

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