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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: wound · chest · track · date · temple · hand · bank · rest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bank — of a river
  10. track — a path
  11. rest — a break
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bank — for money
  14. track — a song
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — to keep track
  19. date — the fruit
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chest — a box
  22. hand — help
  23. bank — for money
  24. temple — a place of worship

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