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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: mine · temple · file · present · bear · prune · cue · rest

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. present — a gift
  7. rest — what's left
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. present — the time now
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cue — a signal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a document
  17. cue — a hint
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — there
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rest — a break
  24. mine — an explosive

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