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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — in sport
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. row — a line
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. dip — to sink
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. row — to paddle
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. season — of the year
  24. leaves — lets stay

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