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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. season — of the year
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. file — a document
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. prune — to trim
  9. file — a line of people
  10. firm — decided
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. firm — a company
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. branch — a division
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. season — in sport
  21. firm — steady
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  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