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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 · last · hand · kid · cabinet · branch · pass · cell

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. branch — a division
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kid — child
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. last — to go on
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pass — a permit
  15. last — final
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kid — to tease
  19. hand — in cards
  20. last — finally
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hand — help
  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