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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: temple · court · jam · drill · clip · bank · wax · bay

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. drill — army training
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of law
  12. clip — a video
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. court — for sport
  16. clip — to cut
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. court — of a king
  24. drill — the tool

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