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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. firm — a company
  3. net — after costs
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. net — for catching
  9. band — a ring
  10. firm — decided
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a music group
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. tear — from crying
  16. prune — to trim
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tear — to rip
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. firm — steady
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — the fruit

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