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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lie · lean · prune · bound · temple · land · lash · content

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. land — ground
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bound — obliged
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — tied together
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lean — thin
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. content — happy
  17. prune — to trim
  18. land — a country
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — the amount
  22. bound — certain
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. prune — the fruit

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