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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · bear · prune · squash · branch · racket · bulb · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. prune — to trim
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bulb — for light
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pitcher — a jug

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