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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bore — to drill
  5. net — after costs
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lean — thin
  9. cap — a hat
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cap — of ice
  14. lean — to bend
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. branch — a division
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to tire
  20. net — in sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. net — for catching
  23. cap — a lid
  24. plane — a tool

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