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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rush — hurry
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cold — an illness
  15. can — a tin
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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