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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
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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 · rock · tube · rash · season · pitcher · bound · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bass — the fish
  8. season — of the year
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tube — a container
  16. bass — low music
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bound — certain
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rash — a series
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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