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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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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: temple · prune · bank · snap · bear · last · present · wind

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. last — to go on
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bank — for money
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — finally
  12. snap — to click
  13. bank — of a river
  14. present — a gift
  15. last — final
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wind — moving air
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bear — the animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bank — for money

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