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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.

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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. spring — of water
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fine — all right
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitch — completely
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spring — the season
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bank — for money
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spring — a coil

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