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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 120 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: pitch · tear · hand · staff · bank · bound · present · temple

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hand — help
  3. bank — for money
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bank — for money
  8. present — a gift
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hand — in cards
  13. present — there
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pitch — completely
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bound — tied together
  21. staff — employees
  22. bank — of a river
  23. present — the time now
  24. tear — from crying

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