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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: stand · temple · prune · hide · bulb · cap · field · last

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. last — final
  3. field — farmland
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. last — to go on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. last — finally
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stand — to bear
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cap — a lid

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