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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. charge — in control
  4. squash — to crush
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. degree — from a university
  10. content — happy
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bound — tied together
  13. content — the amount
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bound — certain
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. degree — temperature
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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