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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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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: ball · season · temple · prune · plane · snap · sharp · wound

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. plane — a tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. sharp — clever
  12. snap — to click
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ball — a great time
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wound — an injury
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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