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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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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: mark · rule · wake · bank · temple · clip · dip · kid

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bank — for money
  4. mark — a trace
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bank — for money
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rule — government
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — a grade
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. kid — child
  20. rule — a law
  21. kid — to tease
  22. clip — a video
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wake — a trail

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