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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.

Make a worksheet

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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. current — electric
  4. kid — to tease
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. date — the fruit
  9. branch — a division
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. current — happening now
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bass — the fish
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hand — help
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. kid — child
  22. bass — low music
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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