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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. can — a tin
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. deal — to handle
  20. branch — a division
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. can — a tin
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. branch — of a bank

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