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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tear · bore · trunk · swing · safe · temple · sharp · rash

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. 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. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — to tire
  3. swing — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. swing — to play on
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. swing — in golf
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rash — hasty
  24. 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