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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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Word bank
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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. court — for sport
  6. degree — an amount
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wax — to grow
  13. key — in music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — of law
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. court — of a king
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. key — the most important part
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. file — a tool
  23. key — for a lock
  24. file — a document

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