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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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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: prune · temple · racket · stick · last · wind · content · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. last — finally
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. content — the amount
  17. prune — to trim
  18. last — final
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. content — happy
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. last — to go on
  24. wind — moving air

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