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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 120 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: patient · saw · temple · rash · season · rule · object · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — a thing
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. object — to protest
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. saw — the tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rash — hasty
  14. season — in sport
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rule — a law
  17. prune — to trim
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. season — of the year
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. object — an aim
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. season — to add flavour

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