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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · mine · degree · straw · fine · calf · temple · prune

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chest — of your body
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fine — high quality
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. degree — from a university

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