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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bulb — for light
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rule — a law
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. court — for sport
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. branch — a division
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tube — a container
  19. rule — government
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tube — the underground
  22. court — of law
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. court — of a king

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