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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tear — to rip
  3. branch — a division
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. capital — money
  7. spell — magic
  8. capital — a city
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spell — a short time
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mark — a grade
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. spell — letters
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mark — a trace
  21. court — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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