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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chip — for betting
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. net — in sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — for catching
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chip — to eat
  15. net — after costs
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. band — a music group
  23. branch — a division
  24. kick — in football

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