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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 · mate · wound · lean · pit · band · branch · court

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pit — a hole
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. band — a music group
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — for sport
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. branch — a division
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. band — a ring

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