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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mug — a cup
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mug — a face
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tube — the underground
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — a container
  24. mug — to rob

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