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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · track · safe · bat · temple · prune · present · fork

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bat — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. track — a path
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bound — obliged
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bound — tied together
  14. track — a song
  15. present — the time now
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fork — in a road
  18. present — there
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. present — a gift
  23. bound — certain
  24. bat — in an idiom

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