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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: object · temple · last · jam · safe · tear

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — finally
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tear — to rip
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — to go on
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. object — to protest
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. object — a thing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. last — final
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. object — an aim
  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