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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — a division
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. charge — in control
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. charge — electricity
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. dip — to sink
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. charge — a price
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. branch — of a bank

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