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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: arm · season · date · fine · wind · band · temple · perch

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — of the year
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a music group
  6. perch — the fish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fine — high quality
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. band — a ring

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