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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bat — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — a division
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mate — to breed
  7. content — the amount
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mate — a friend
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. content — happy
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. file — a tool
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wake — a trail
  24. file — a document

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