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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: cabinet · net · temple · band · fork · chest · stick · present

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — for catching
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. net — in sport
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chest — a box
  13. present — a gift
  14. net — after costs
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. band — a ring
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. present — there
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. present — the time now

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