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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bass — low music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rest — a break
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. spell — a short time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bass — the fish
  16. spell — magic
  17. rule — government
  18. spell — letters
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rule — a law
  24. trunk — of a car

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