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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: lie · temple · file · spring · prune · branch · arm · game

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. file — a tool
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — of water
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. prune — to trim

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