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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bulb — for light
  6. charge — in control
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tear — to rip
  9. charge — a price
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. fine — all right
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fine — high quality
  15. prune — to trim
  16. charge — electricity
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bulb — for light
  23. roll — a list
  24. prune — the fruit

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