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

Word bank: bowl · bank · suit · mine · temple · snap · rest · staff

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mine — for digging
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rest — what's left
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bank — for money
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rest — a break
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. snap — to click
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. staff — employees
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rest — what's left

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