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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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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: bore · file · plane · temple · staff · bound · wound · hand

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hand — in cards
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. file — a line of people
  14. hand — help
  15. bound — obliged
  16. plane — a tool
  17. staff — employees
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. file — a tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. file — a document
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. staff — a stick

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