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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: bank · key · can · wound · tear · mate · bore · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. key — for a lock
  6. can — to be able to
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wound — an injury
  10. can — a tin
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — to tire
  14. key — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — a tin
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chest — a box
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bank — for money

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