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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
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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: rest · drill · sharp · cap · temple · track · prune · object

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. object — an aim
  5. drill — army training
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a lid
  13. object — to protest
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rest — what's left
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rest — a break
  18. object — a thing
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cap — a hat
  22. drill — the tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — with an edge

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