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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: deal · bore · wake · sharp · tube · temple · hand · stock

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stock — shares
  9. bore — to tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hand — help
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stock — goods
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. deal — to handle
  23. tube — in a tire
  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