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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · stand · bank · march · chair · temple · hide · tube

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bank — of a river
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. march — music
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bank — for money
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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