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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: prune · temple · jam · game · spring · last · spell · mouse

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. last — finally
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — to go on
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — magic
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — a match
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spring — the season
  24. temple — side of the head

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