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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. band — a ring
  5. firm — a company
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. band — a music group
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. key — in music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. key — the most important part
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. firm — steady
  24. key — for a lock

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