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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rash — hasty
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. drill — army training
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rash — a series
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread

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