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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: racket · temple · track · toast · leaves · cell · nail · prune

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. track — to keep track
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. track — a path
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cell — in biology
  17. track — a song
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. toast — bread
  23. racket — for tennis
  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