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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: field · temple · lean · bulb · rule · bound · file · prune

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bound — tied together
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. rule — government
  7. field — farmland
  8. rule — a law
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lean — thin
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bound — certain
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — to trim
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a line of people
  20. field — for sport
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lean — to bend
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. field — a subject

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