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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: temple · key · tube · pound · tear · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tear — from crying
  3. race — humankind
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. key — the most important part
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tube — a container
  8. pound — a weight
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. key — in music
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. key — for a lock
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head

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