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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: temple · band · bulb · board · pitcher · track · wound · cap

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. track — a path
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. board — to get on
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — for light
  13. track — to keep track
  14. band — a ring
  15. bulb — for light
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. board — a committee
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. track — a song
  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