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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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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: spell · branch · temple · spring · plane · cold · prune · ground

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cold — an illness
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spring — of water
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. branch — a division
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spring — a coil
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ground — a position
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spell — letters
  20. ground — the earth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spell — magic
  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