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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 · branch · club · ground · can · degree · charge · sharp

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — clever
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. club — a group
  7. can — a tin
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. branch — a division
  11. degree — an amount
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. club — for golf
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. club — for dancing
  18. can — to be able to
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ground — the earth
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — in control
  23. ground — a position
  24. can — a tin

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