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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — a face
  3. drill — the tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. toast — bread
  7. mug — a cup
  8. court — of law
  9. bulb — for light
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lean — thin
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mug — to rob
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. branch — a division
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. drill — army training

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