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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. track — a path
  6. branch — a division
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. season — of the year
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. season — in sport
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitch — completely
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. track — a song
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bat — the animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. temple — a place of worship

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