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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · racket · face · degree · spell · content · branch · temple

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. march — the month
  3. face — part of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spell — a short time
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — music
  11. content — the amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spell — letters
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. face — to point toward
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. temple — side of the head

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