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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: content · mate · bank · tear · wound · chip · temple · hand

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wound — an injury
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chip — to eat
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — a friend
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bank — for money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bank — for money
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. content — the amount
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. temple — side of the head

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