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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cold — an illness
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — crushed
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. last — finally
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. last — to go on
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. last — final
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. hand — in cards
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cold — not warm
  24. hand — help

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