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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. root — of a word
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. net — in sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. branch — a division
  13. net — for catching
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chair — a leader
  19. root — the cause
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. root — of a plant
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. branch — of a tree

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