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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chest — a box
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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