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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 · chest · board · temple · trunk · season · mine · lash

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. board — to get on
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chest — a box
  10. season — of the year
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. chest — of your body
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. board — a committee
  24. band — a rubber band

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