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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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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 · toast · mouse · bank · nail · clip · chest · stock

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. stock — goods
  5. clip — a video
  6. bank — for money
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. clip — to cut
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — for money
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bank — of a river
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — shares
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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