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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. object — an aim
  3. present — the time now
  4. band — a ring
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. present — a gift
  9. object — a thing
  10. branch — a division
  11. bound — obliged
  12. roll — a list
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bound — tied together
  17. roll — a cake
  18. present — there
  19. band — a music group
  20. object — to protest
  21. bound — certain
  22. kid — to tease
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. band — a rubber band

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