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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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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: craft · branch · temple · cell · wind · tube · pass · pitch

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. tube — a container
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. craft — boats
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pass — a permit
  13. craft — a skill
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cell — a phone
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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