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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 · last · march · chip · branch · temple · bore · ruler

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. last — finally
  3. chip — for betting
  4. last — final
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chip — to eat
  9. lie — to recline
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bore — to tire
  12. last — to go on
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. march — music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. march — the month
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. temple — side of the head

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