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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: sharp · net · wound · temple · face · tube · prune · rush

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. net — in sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tube — a container
  7. face — to confront
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wound — an injury
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rush — hurry
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — to hurry
  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