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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cue — a hint
  3. degree — temperature
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. press — newspapers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cue — for pool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. branch — a division
  13. degree — from a university
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. key — in music
  21. last — final
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. key — the most important part

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