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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: kid · cell · tear · track · land · branch · craft · temple

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — to rip
  4. craft — boats
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. land — a country
  8. track — to keep track
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. craft — a skill
  12. branch — a division
  13. track — a path
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. kid — child
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. track — a song
  23. land — ground
  24. tear — from crying

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