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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: temple · jam · safe · prune · stem · court · tear · pitch

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. tear — to rip
  4. prune — to trim
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. court — of law
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitch — completely
  11. tear — from crying
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. court — of a king
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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