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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: degree · object · band · pit · season · fall · temple · spring

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spring — the season
  5. object — to protest
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. spring — a coil
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. object — a thing
  18. pit — in a race
  19. degree — temperature
  20. object — an aim
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. spring — of water
  24. temple — a place of worship

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