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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: foot · mark · prune · temple · row · jam · staff · march

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. march — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. row — a line
  8. mark — a grade
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. staff — employees
  11. foot — a measure
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. row — to paddle
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mark — a trace
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — a stick
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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