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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 · track · mug · rule · wind · temple · calf · season

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mug — a cup
  7. band — a music group
  8. season — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. track — a song
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. rule — a law
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. band — a ring
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. season — of the year

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