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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: hide · temple · prune · club · sharp · wind · season · bound

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bound — tied together
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — certain
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. club — a group
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — of the year
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — obliged
  19. club — for golf
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. club — for dancing

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