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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fall — to drop
  9. court — of a king
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mug — a face
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mug — a cup
  15. court — of law
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. branch — a division
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. bear — the animal

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