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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: key · bat · drill · roll · press · branch · charge · temple

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. key — the most important part
  8. press — a publisher
  9. charge — a price
  10. branch — a division
  11. press — to push
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bat — the animal
  22. key — in music
  23. drill — army training
  24. branch — of a tree

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