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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: toast · temple · racket · prune · file · bore · cold · craft

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cold — an illness
  4. prune — to trim
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bore — to drill
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. prune — to trim
  9. file — a document
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. toast — bread
  21. file — a tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. craft — boats
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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