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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · foot · straw · saw · temple · prune

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. foot — a measure
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. season — of the year
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — the bottom

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