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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: rash · temple · spring · rest · plane · prune · field · saw

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spring — the season
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — a series
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — a subject
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rest — what's left
  14. prune — to trim
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — farmland
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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