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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: temple · bear · cap · prune · fall · mine · pop · band

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fall — to drop
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — the season
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cap — a lid
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — soda
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. fall — to drop

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