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

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. spring — a coil
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spring — the season
  8. branch — a division
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — of water
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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