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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bank — of a river
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bass — low music
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rest — a break
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — a container
  18. bass — the fish

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