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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. branch — a division
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a tool
  16. bore — to tire
  17. snap — to click
  18. bore — to drill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mine — for digging
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. file — a line of people

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