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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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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: temple · lie · band · pit · branch · wind · fan · rock

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a music group
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rock — music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rock — a stone
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. branch — a division
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a ring
  21. pit — a hole
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lie — to recline

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