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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. chest — of your body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. field — a subject
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. staff — a stick

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