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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: temple · wind · bark · cabinet · saw · deal · toast · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. deal — to handle
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. toast — bread
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. prune — to trim
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cabinet — ministers

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