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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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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 · deal · file · nail · stem · safe · drill · temple

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stem — to come from
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chest — a box
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. file — a document
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. file — a tool

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