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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: chip · staff · bear · temple · last · ground · clip · branch

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. staff — employees
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. staff — employees
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. last — finally
  7. branch — a division
  8. clip — to cut
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chip — for betting
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — to go on
  18. staff — a stick
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ground — a position
  24. bear — the animal

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