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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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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: file · kid · bore · bank · bat · bowl · temple · arm

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bank — for money
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a document
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. file — a tool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. file — a line of people
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bank — for money
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bore — gave birth

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