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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: track · degree · lie · chair · pit · perch · branch · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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 — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. perch — the fish
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pit — a hole
  15. lie — to recline
  16. track — a song
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chair — a leader
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. degree — from a university
  23. track — a path
  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