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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. prune — to trim
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lean — thin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lean — to bend
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wake — a trail

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