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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: chest · temple · bulb · bank · dip · race · stick · sharp

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — a box
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bulb — for light
  15. dip — to sink
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bank — of a river
  22. sharp — clever
  23. race — the arms race
  24. sharp — with an edge

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