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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: bore · track · kick · temple · tube · rule · stand · wound

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tube — a container
  4. stand — to bear
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rule — a law
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a path
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rule — government
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bore — to tire
  21. track — a song
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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