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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mark — a trace
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. season — of the year
  7. prune — to trim
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. staff — employees
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mark — a grade
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. season — in sport
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rash — a series

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