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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.

Make a worksheet

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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. key — in music
  3. spell — letters
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. foot — a measure
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. squash — the sport
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. branch — a division
  12. squash — to crush
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spell — a short time
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. spell — magic
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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