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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: ground · band · fine · leaves · temple · board · march · chest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chest — of your body
  4. band — a ring
  5. chest — a box
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. band — a music group
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. ground — the earth
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ground — a position
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ground — crushed
  16. march — the month
  17. board — to get on
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. march — music
  23. fine — all right
  24. board — a committee

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