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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: mine · bore · tear · safe · temple · chest · staff · bat

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tear — from crying
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — the animal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chest — of your body
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bore — to tire
  18. chest — of your body
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chest — a box
  23. staff — employees
  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