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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: ruler · snap · prune · last · temple · bowl · swing · cap

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — of ice
  6. last — final
  7. snap — to click
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cap — a hat
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. swing — music
  19. last — finally
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — to go on
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. prune — to trim

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