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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: prune · degree · foot · leaves · temple · bulb · rush · chest

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — temperature
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — a box
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. foot — a measure
  21. degree — an amount
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. temple — side of the head
  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