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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chest — of your body
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — a container
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chest — a box
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. race — humankind
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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