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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: coach · net · land · lash · present · track · temple · staff

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. land — ground
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. present — the time now
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. present — there
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — a song
  23. present — a gift
  24. land — to come down

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