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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: branch · mouse · leaves · band · sharp · temple · spell · fine

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. branch — a division
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fine — all right
  11. spell — a short time
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. fine — high quality
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. band — a music group
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mouse — the animal
  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