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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. staff — employees
  3. file — a line of people
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. file — a document
  9. staff — a stick
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. root — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. root — of a word
  16. branch — a division
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a tool
  23. root — the cause
  24. hand — help

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