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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: branch · temple · arm · nail · roll · season · wind · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. 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. leaves — lets stay
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wind — moving air
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. 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