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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: bass · season · craft · spring · object · temple · band · leaves

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bass — the fish
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. object — an aim
  8. season — of the year
  9. band — a music group
  10. craft — boats
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. craft — a skill
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. band — a ring
  16. object — a thing
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — low music

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