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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. current — happening now
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. object — an aim
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. branch — a division
  10. cold — an illness
  11. current — electric
  12. board — to get on
  13. object — a thing
  14. current — of water
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cold — not warm
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bark — to shout
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. board — a committee
  22. object — to protest
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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