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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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 — a place of worship
  2. branch — a division
  3. club — a group
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mine — for digging
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. club — for dancing
  12. toast — bread
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. club — for golf
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stock — goods
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stock — shares
  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