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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — for catching
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. charge — a price
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. branch — a division
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. net — after costs
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. calf — a young animal

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