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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. staff — employees
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitch — completely
  8. staff — employees
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. kid — child
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. branch — a division
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kid — to tease

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