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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 120 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: tear · branch · temple · content · cell · deal · kick · fine

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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 — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. content — the amount
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fine — all right
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. kick — in football
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fine — high quality
  18. tear — to rip
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. content — happy
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. kick — with a leg
  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