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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spell — a short time
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hand — help
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spell — magic
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cap — of ice
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — letters
  19. branch — a division
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. current — of water
  22. cap — a hat
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — part of the body

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