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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: bark · season · net · temple · toast · snap · present · prune

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. toast — bread
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. snap — to click
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. season — in sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. net — for catching
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — there
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bark — to shout

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