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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. present — the time now
  3. saw — the tool
  4. charge — a price
  5. present — a gift
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — a division
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. present — there
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. charge — electricity
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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