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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: shower · stick · band · temple · net · capital · season · ball

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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 — side of the head
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. band — a ring
  4. net — for catching
  5. shower — rain
  6. net — in sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — of the year
  10. band — a music group
  11. ball — a great time
  12. capital — money
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. shower — to wash
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a dance
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — a city
  24. season — in sport

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