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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mate — to breed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. toast — bread
  14. mate — a partner
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rock — a stone
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chest — a box
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chest — of your body

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