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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 120 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: tear · root · bank · safe · track · bore · kid · chest

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tear — to rip
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bank — for money
  5. track — to keep track
  6. root — of a plant
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chest — of your body
  11. root — the cause
  12. bore — to tire
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a song
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chest — a box
  23. root — of a word
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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