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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: straw · tear · temple · chair · bore · toast

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bore — to drill
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. toast — bread
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tear — to rip

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