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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: chest · drill · track · temple · bound · lean · sharp · wake

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — tied together
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. drill — army training
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wake — a trail
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lean — to bend
  13. track — a path
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — of your body
  16. sharp — clever
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. track — a song
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — certain
  24. chest — of your body

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