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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lash · drill · band · clip · staff · bore · hand · temple

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. hand — help
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bore — to tire
  6. band — a music group
  7. staff — employees
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. clip — for paper
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. drill — army training
  16. bore — to drill
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. staff — a stick
  22. drill — the tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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