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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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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: temple · tube · present · firm · lie · prune · scale · hand

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. present — a gift
  3. lie — to recline
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tube — a container
  7. scale — in music
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hand — help
  13. tube — the underground
  14. firm — a company
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. present — the time now
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. present — there
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — part of the body

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