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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: leaves · bore · chest · kid · bass · dip · march · temple

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. march — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bore — to drill
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bass — the fish
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chest — a box
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. kid — child
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. dip — to sink
  24. temple — a place of worship

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