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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. branch — a division
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. drill — army training
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — money
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — rain
  12. fall — the season
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fall — to drop

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