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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
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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: lean · mine · squash · pound · temple · stock · coach · prune

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lean — thin
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. squash — the sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pound — a weight
  24. prune — the fruit

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