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

Word bank: lean · charge · prune · temple · file · kid

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. prune — to trim
  3. charge — in control
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. charge — a price
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. charge — electricity
  12. prune — to trim
  13. kid — to tease
  14. file — a tool
  15. lean — thin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. 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