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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cabinet · net · stock · key · kid · branch · present · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kid — child
  3. net — for catching
  4. key — for a lock
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stock — shares
  9. present — there
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — in sport
  12. key — in music
  13. net — after costs
  14. kid — to tease
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. key — the most important part
  18. present — the time now
  19. stock — goods
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. present — a gift

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