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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.

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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: tear · lie · rest · hand · prune · cap · temple · stick

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — help
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — in cards
  24. temple — a place of worship

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