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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. race — a contest
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — a division
  13. race — the arms race
  14. file — a line of people
  15. current — happening now
  16. race — humankind
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. current — electric
  20. toast — bread
  21. file — a document
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wound — an injury

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