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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 120 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
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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: tube · temple · clip · firm · season · pit · march · band

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. clip — to cut
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pit — a hole
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. firm — decided
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. season — in sport
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a ring
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. march — music
  17. firm — a company
  18. tube — a container
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a music group
  23. firm — steady
  24. pit — in a race

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