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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — a coil
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spring — of water
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spring — the season
  7. branch — a division
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stand — to bear
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stand — for spectators

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