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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rest — what's left
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. current — happening now
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. current — of water
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. deal — to handle
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. current — electric
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. season — in sport

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