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

Word bank: bowl · bank · temple · pound · branch · snap

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bank — for money
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. snap — to click
  18. bank — of a river

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