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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: lean · temple · land · scale · prune · season · stick · spring

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. scale — in music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lean — to bend
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — of water
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — a country
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. land — ground
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spring — a coil
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — thin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. scale — size or range

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