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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 120 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: bay · wind · foot · tube · temple · bore · band · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bore — to drill
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. band — a music group
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tube — a container
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. last — to go on
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. last — final
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. foot — a measure
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wind — moving air

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