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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. current — electric
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — to handle
  14. current — happening now
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — of water
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. court — of a king
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. court — of law
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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