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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: straw · branch · mug · mate · content · cap · temple · spring

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. content — the amount
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cap — a hat
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mug — a cup
  9. branch — a division
  10. cap — of ice
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. spring — of water
  13. mug — to rob
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mate — a friend
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mate — a partner
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spring — the season
  22. mug — a face
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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