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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. branch — a division
  6. current — electric
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. saw — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. march — the month
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. shower — to wash
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. current — of water
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. current — happening now

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