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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. content — the amount
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. toast — bread
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. branch — a division
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. content — happy
  22. bank — for money
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. temple — side of the head

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