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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: fan · saw · season · board · club · bear · last · temple

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. last — to go on
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. club — for golf
  7. last — final
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. board — a committee
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — to get on
  16. club — a group
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. club — for dancing

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