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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: stem · leaves · squash · key · bank · temple · clip · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — the most important part
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bank — for money
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. key — in music
  10. band — a ring
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. squash — the sport
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. key — for a lock
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bank — for money
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bank — of a river

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