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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · prune · net · vault · march · land · temple · tube

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — the underground
  3. prune — to trim
  4. net — in sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — ground
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tube — a container
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — for catching
  17. land — to come down
  18. perch — the fish
  19. march — the month
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. prune — to trim
  22. march — music
  23. land — a country
  24. march — the month

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