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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: bass · jam · temple · current · spring · chest · season · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chest — a box
  8. bass — low music
  9. spring — of water
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. current — electric
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. season — in sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. season — of the year
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bass — the fish

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