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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: temple · wound · bore · spell · mark · band · shower · bass

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mark — a trace
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a music group
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spell — a short time
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. spell — letters
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. shower — rain
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — low music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spell — magic
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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