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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: spell · leaves · band · fine · wave · trunk · object · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. object — a thing
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spell — letters
  8. band — a ring
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. spell — magic
  16. object — to protest
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spell — a short time
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. object — an aim
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fine — all right
  24. trunk — of a tree

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