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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. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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. rush — a thrill
  4. date — the fruit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — to go on
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. last — final
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. last — finally
  24. temple — side of the head

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