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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. can — a tin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — there
  12. rash — hasty
  13. can — a tin
  14. branch — a division
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fall — the season
  17. tear — to rip
  18. drill — army training
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. drill — a practice
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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