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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. plane — a tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. shower — to wash
  5. court — of law
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. can — a tin
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — a song
  14. can — to be able to
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — rain
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. court — for sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — to keep track
  23. can — a tin
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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