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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mark — a trace
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. stem — to come from
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. drill — the tool
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. drill — army training
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mark — a grade
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. kick — in football
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. drill — a practice
  23. squash — to crush
  24. temple — a place of worship

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