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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. suit — in cards
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. suit — to fit
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. key — in music
  10. pop — music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bat — the animal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pop — soda
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. key — for a lock
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bat — for baseball

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