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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. present — a gift
  3. season — in sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bulb — for light
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. present — there
  19. content — happy
  20. branch — a division
  21. present — the time now
  22. content — the amount
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. branch — of a tree

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