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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rule — government
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. branch — a division
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rule — a law
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spring — the season
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mate — to breed
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spring — of water
  24. temple — side of the head

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