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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 120 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: bay · rash · prune · plane · pit · mark · temple · season

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. season — in sport
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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