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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: pit · lean · mark · rest · wound · temple · prune · spell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pit — in a race
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — a break
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mark — a grade
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lean — thin
  17. spell — magic
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — an injury
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. spell — letters

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