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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: hide · drill · bank · temple · bass · chair · cell · staff

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bank — for money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chair — a leader
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bass — low music
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cell — in biology
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. staff — a stick
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. bank — for money
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chair — a professorship

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