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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. net — for catching
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. branch — a division
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — what's left
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rest — a break
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kid — child
  18. plane — a tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. branch — of a tree
  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