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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bank — for money
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. capital — money
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. shower — rain
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. branch — a division
  15. march — the month
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. shower — to wash
  20. sharp — clever
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bank — of a river
  23. capital — a city
  24. fan — a supporter

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