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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: spring · can · prune · bowl · temple · object · branch · bat

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. can — a tin
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bat — the animal
  5. branch — a division
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. object — an aim
  11. can — a tin
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — the season
  19. object — a thing
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spring — of water
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. temple — a place of worship

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