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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · branch · leaves · bat · dip · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — to sink
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bat — the animal
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. branch — a division
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. chest — of your body
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chest — a box
  18. leaves — to go away

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