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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: temple · prune · pound · rule · deal · nail · wake · cold

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wake — a trail
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cold — not warm
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rule — government
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — a weight
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. deal — to handle

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