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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — happy
  4. board — a committee
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pit — a hole
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. content — the amount
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. band — a ring
  15. board — to get on
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — in a race

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