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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — a division
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chest — a box
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mate — to breed

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