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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — the season
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. suit — to fit
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. suit — in cards
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. vault — a safe
  10. branch — a division
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spring — of water
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. suit — clothes

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