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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a document
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. current — happening now
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. squash — the sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — final
  13. squash — to crush
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. file — a line of people
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. current — of water
  19. file — a tool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. branch — a division
  22. kick — in football
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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