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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: toast · roll · prune · fine · cold · leaves · pop · temple

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fine — high quality
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. toast — bread
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. prune — to trim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pop — soda
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cold — an illness
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pop — music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pop — to visit
  24. roll — a cake

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