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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: branch · capital · rest · key · temple · chair · current · wind

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rest — a break
  9. current — happening now
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — in music
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. current — of water
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. key — for a lock
  16. current — electric
  17. rest — what's left
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. capital — money
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. capital — a city

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