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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: prune · squash · temple · spring · trunk · wax · present · arm

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. prune — to trim
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. present — there
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. squash — the sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. present — the time now
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wax — to grow

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