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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. hand — in cards
  3. kid — child
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. march — music
  6. suit — in cards
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. march — the month
  9. hand — help
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. suit — clothes
  12. march — the month
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. present — the time now
  15. kid — to tease
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. suit — to fit
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ruler — a monarch

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