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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 · club · pop · chest · face · date · foot · temple

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. foot — a measure
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. club — for dancing
  7. date — the fruit
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chest — a box
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pop — music
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. club — a group
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — of your body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. branch — a division
  24. foot — the bottom

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