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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: lie · snap · wound · temple · band · field · branch · rush

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. field — a subject
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. band — a music group
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — hurry
  21. branch — a division
  22. lie — to recline
  23. band — a ring
  24. lie — an untruth

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