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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — ground
  5. bank — for money
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — a cake
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. roll — a list
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. band — a ring
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. bank — of a river
  20. band — a music group
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bank — for money

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