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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. land — a country
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. court — of law
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bat — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fine — all right
  16. court — for sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. branch — a division
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rush — to hurry

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