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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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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: temple · ball · branch · file · calf · pitcher · face · pass

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ball — a dance
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a great time
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. file — a tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. file — a line of people
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. face — part of the head
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. file — a document
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pass — a permit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. face — to confront

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