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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: bear · temple · prune · deal · date · tear · nail · pitcher

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. deal — to handle
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

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