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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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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 · prune · stand · tear · file · season · rest · straw

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. season — in sport
  9. tear — to rip
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rest — a break
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. prune — to trim
  17. file — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a line of people
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. season — to add flavour

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