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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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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 · deal · ground · cell · pound · prune · kid · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. kid — to tease
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kid — child
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pound — a weight
  23. ground — the earth
  24. prune — the fruit

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