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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. date — the fruit
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — for sport
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. field — farmland
  11. cell — a phone
  12. charge — in control
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. charge — a price
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. date — on the calendar
  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