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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: ruler · bank · wind · temple · track · trunk · branch · last

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — a division
  4. bank — of a river
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — to go on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. track — a song
  15. bank — for money
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bank — for money
  20. last — final
  21. track — a path
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. last — finally

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