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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: branch · lie · rule · temple · wake · hand · wound · sharp

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. branch — a division
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rule — government
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. hand — help
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lie — to recline

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