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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. shower — rain
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rest — a break
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lean — thin
  13. mug — a face
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bat — the animal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mug — to rob
  24. branch — a division

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