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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: kid · temple · bay · can · ruler · prune · dip · land

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kid — to tease
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. kid — child
  15. prune — to trim
  16. can — a tin
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. can — to be able to
  22. dip — to sink
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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