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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: temple · march · clip · staff · press · wound · nail · cap

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. march — the month
  4. clip — a video
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cap — of ice
  8. march — music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cap — a lid
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wound — an injury
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cap — a hat
  24. staff — employees

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