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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: hand · tube · drill · nail · staff · race · suit · temple

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — help
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. race — a contest
  8. drill — army training
  9. staff — a stick
  10. race — humankind
  11. suit — in cards
  12. staff — employees
  13. hand — in cards
  14. staff — employees
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. race — the arms race
  20. tube — the underground
  21. suit — clothes
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. suit — to fit
  24. nail — for a hammer

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