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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: cold · cabinet · face · tube · temple · prune · fine · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fine — all right
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — a container
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. face — to confront
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cold — not warm

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