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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pound — a weight
  8. season — in sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pass — a permit
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — of the year
  17. branch — a division
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pass — to spend time

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