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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: safe · wake · chest · temple · scale · nail · stick · net

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chest — a box
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. net — for catching
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — after costs
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. scale — in music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. net — in sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. nail — for a hammer

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