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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: snap · wound · temple · ruler · march · sharp · prune · perch

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. march — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. sharp — clever
  20. perch — the fish
  21. march — the month
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. prune — to trim

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