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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: temple · face · saw · season · spell · deal · band · land

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. band — a music group
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. face — to point toward
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. band — a ring
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — magic
  11. face — to confront
  12. season — in sport
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. spell — letters
  15. deal — to handle
  16. season — of the year
  17. land — to come down
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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