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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: bore · race · mine · chair · patient · temple · dip · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. race — a contest
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. chair — a leader
  8. race — the arms race
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bore — to drill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. race — humankind
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — for money
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bank — of a river

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