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

Word bank: temple · cold · deal · branch · rule · cell

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rule — a law
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. branch — a division
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cold — not warm
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cell — a phone
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. branch — of a tree

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