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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: dip · cold · lean · rest · degree · prune · temple · suit

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — not warm
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — in cards
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rest — a break
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lean — thin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. dip — to sink
  14. degree — from a university
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. degree — an amount
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rest — what's left
  23. suit — to fit
  24. lean — to rest against

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