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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spring — the season
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. clip — to cut
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rest — a break
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — to wash
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. clip — for paper
  22. content — the amount
  23. clip — a video
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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