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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: row · tear · season · pass · temple · key · perch · band

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. row — a line
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. key — in music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. key — the most important part
  9. season — in sport
  10. band — a music group
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tear — to rip
  14. perch — the fish
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pass — a permit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — of the year
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. key — for a lock

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