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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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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 · key · mark · band · chest · bank · rest · file

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — for money
  7. rest — a break
  8. chest — a box
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. file — a document
  12. rest — what's left
  13. band — a ring
  14. season — of the year
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mark — a grade
  18. key — the most important part
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. file — a tool
  21. key — in music
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a music group

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