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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. saw — the tool
  4. branch — a division
  5. club — for golf
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. drill — army training
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. club — for dancing
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bound — certain
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bound — tied together
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. drill — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. foot — a measure

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