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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: hand · staff · temple · bank · clip · stem · content · drill

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — for paper
  5. content — happy
  6. drill — a practice
  7. content — the amount
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — army training
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. drill — the tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bank — for money
  24. stem — to come from

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