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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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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: bore · temple · tube · date · branch · trunk · spring · lean

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tube — the underground
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tube — a container
  6. lean — to bend
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — the season
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spring — a coil
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — to tire
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lean — thin
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. date — the fruit

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