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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — happy
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cell — a phone
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. drill — army training
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. content — the amount
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitch — completely
  16. branch — a division
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — a trail
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. temple — a place of worship

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