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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. branch — a division
  7. roll — a list
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bass — the fish
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mark — a grade
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bore — to drill

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