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

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a music group
  6. firm — steady
  7. band — a ring
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — a company
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. object — an aim
  14. bank — for money
  15. date — the fruit
  16. object — a thing
  17. firm — decided
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. object — to protest
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bank — of a river
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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