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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — to go on
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. ground — a position
  6. prune — to trim
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ground — the earth
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. racket — for tennis

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