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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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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: tear · temple · roll · mate · staff · firm · present · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. firm — steady
  3. roll — a list
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — to breed
  7. firm — a company
  8. staff — employees
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. clip — a video
  12. present — a gift
  13. clip — to cut
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mate — a partner
  16. roll — a cake
  17. staff — employees
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. tear — to rip
  21. firm — decided
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mate — a friend
  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