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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. spell — magic
  7. land — ground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. land — to come down
  11. wake — a trail
  12. band — a ring
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. band — a music group
  16. land — a country
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. branch — a division
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bear — the 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