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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 120 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: prune · mine · board · spring · temple · lean · sharp · fork

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mine — for digging
  5. sharp — clever
  6. prune — to trim
  7. board — to get on
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lean — thin
  12. board — a committee
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. spring — of water
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spring — a coil
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fork — in a road
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spring — the season

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