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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. net — after costs
  5. branch — a division
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. craft — boats
  12. mate — a friend
  13. craft — a skill
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. net — for catching
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — in sport

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