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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. band — a music group
  10. cell — a phone
  11. drill — the tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. drill — army training
  19. game — wild animals
  20. drill — a practice
  21. game — a match
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a ring

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