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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. band — a ring
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. branch — a division
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. band — a music group
  22. tear — from crying
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. tear — from crying

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