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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: cap · branch · bore · face · ground · mug · rash · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ground — the earth
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mug — a cup
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mug — a face
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ground — a position
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mug — to rob
  22. ground — crushed
  23. face — to confront
  24. branch — a division

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