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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — for catching
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rock — a stone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fine — high quality
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rock — music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. net — after costs
  18. branch — a division
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. net — in sport

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