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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — in sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. row — a line
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. scale — in music
  23. court — for sport
  24. row — to paddle

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