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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: rest · pop · prune · plane · net · temple · dip · object

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pop — soda
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. object — a thing
  5. plane — a tool
  6. object — to protest
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — a break
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. net — in sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pop — to visit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. dip — to sink
  18. object — an aim
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — for catching
  22. pop — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — in geometry

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