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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. can — to be able to
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. content — happy
  13. spring — a coil
  14. branch — a division
  15. perch — the fish
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — the amount
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — of a word
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. temple — side of the head

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