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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. roll — a list
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — final
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a cake
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cell — a phone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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