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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · squash · bass · march · stem · cap · land · temple

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — ground
  3. cap — a hat
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cap — of ice
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. land — a country
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — low music
  16. land — to come down
  17. band — a ring
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a music group
  23. squash — to crush
  24. march — music

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