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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cap — a lid
  5. field — farmland
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kick — in football
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cap — a hat
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — a subject
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. field — for sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — a division
  21. lie — to recline
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cap — of ice

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