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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rest — a break
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bore — to drill
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. band — a ring
  21. branch — a division
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. band — a music group

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