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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: temple · wound · bank · clip · arm · shower · lie · track

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bank — for money
  7. wound — an injury
  8. shower — rain
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bank — for money
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lie — to recline
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bank — of a river
  19. track — to keep track
  20. clip — a video
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — side of the head
  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