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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: tube · ball · rash · mine · temple · march · lie · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — hasty
  5. march — the month
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. staff — a stick
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rash — a series
  23. mine — for digging
  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