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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. firm — steady
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. content — the amount
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hand — help
  9. kid — to tease
  10. branch — a division
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. firm — decided
  17. kid — child
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. firm — a company
  24. hand — in cards

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