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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. last — final
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — a break
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. can — to be able to
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. chair — a leader
  20. last — finally
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. foot — part of the body

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