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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: cell · firm · snap · drill · sharp · temple · spring · bank

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bank — for money
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. firm — steady
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. drill — a practice
  12. snap — to click
  13. cell — in biology
  14. firm — a company
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bank — for money
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. firm — decided
  22. drill — army training
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — in a prison

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