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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. staff — employees
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — to rob
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mug — a cup
  19. tear — to rip
  20. toast — bread
  21. mug — a face
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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