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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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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: mine · shower · mark · bulb · prune · craft · saw · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. saw — the tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. craft — boats
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — to wash
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bulb — for light
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. saw — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. shower — rain
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mark — a trace
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bulb — of a plant

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