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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. branch — a division
  4. spring — the season
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mark — a trace
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. current — of water
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. current — happening now
  15. spring — of water
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. current — electric
  22. capital — a city
  23. mark — a grade
  24. capital — money

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