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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. track — a song
  3. shower — to wash
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. squash — to crush
  6. shower — rain
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. face — part of the head
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. branch — a division
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. track — to keep track

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