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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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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 · cap · pit · mouse · bank · face · band · march

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. band — a music group
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. march — music
  10. face — to point toward
  11. band — a ring
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pit — in a race
  15. face — to confront
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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