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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bass — the fish
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. vault — a safe
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — a division
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. club — a group
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bass — low music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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