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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — a price
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. charge — in control
  7. cell — in biology
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. toast — bread
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wind — moving air
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. charge — electricity

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