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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: chair · clip · temple · squash · march · dip · safe · bank

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. dip — to sink
  5. march — the month
  6. bank — of a river
  7. chair — a leader
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — a video
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — music
  18. clip — for paper
  19. squash — the sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. squash — to crush
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. dip — a sauce

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