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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. face — part of the head
  4. kid — child
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to confront
  12. drill — a practice
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ball — a dance
  16. branch — a division
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wound — an injury

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