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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · prune · cold · temple · season · stand · pop · lie

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. season — in sport
  4. pop — to visit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. season — of the year
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pop — soda
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. lie — to recline
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pop — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. temple — side of the head

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