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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: mine · temple · snap · squash · hide · cap · prune · arm

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. snap — to click
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — of ice
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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