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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bound — tied together
  5. net — after costs
  6. mug — to rob
  7. net — in sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mug — a face
  16. bound — certain
  17. branch — a division
  18. squash — the sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. net — for catching
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — in biology

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