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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: bore · swing · file · perch · key · bank · tube · temple

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. swing — to play on
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. tube — the underground
  7. swing — in golf
  8. key — for a lock
  9. perch — the fish
  10. tube — a container
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bank — for money
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bore — to drill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bank — for money
  18. key — in music
  19. swing — music
  20. file — a document
  21. bank — of a river
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. file — a tool
  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