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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tube — a container
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mug — a cup
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mug — to rob
  14. dip — to sink
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mug — a face
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. branch — a division
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bear — the animal

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