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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: temple · snap · prune · bark · arm · tube · fall · ruler

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. tube — a container
  3. snap — to click
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. tube — the underground
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fall — to drop
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. arm — 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