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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: march · temple · rest · cap · band · bank · nail · rash

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. march — music
  11. band — a music group
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rash — a series
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bank — for money
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rest — a break
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. band — a ring
  24. temple — a place of worship

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