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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spell — a short time
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fine — all right
  8. shower — rain
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rest — a break
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spell — letters
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spell — magic
  24. temple — a place of worship

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