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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: temple · wound · branch · race · chest · cell · jam · deal

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. race — humankind
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cell — in biology
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — a division
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. deal — to handle
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. chest — a box
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. race — a contest
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. chest — of your body
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cell — in a prison

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