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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · chest · temple · root · bass · branch · patient · object

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bass — low music
  14. chest — a box
  15. branch — a division
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. object — a thing
  18. spring — of water
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. object — to protest
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bass — the fish
  23. object — an aim
  24. patient — a sick person

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