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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: root · bank · date · pound · temple · rule · branch · saw

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bank — for money
  7. rule — a law
  8. pound — a weight
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. root — of a word
  13. rule — government
  14. date — the fruit
  15. root — of a plant
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. root — the cause
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bank — of a river
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. pound — to hit hard

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