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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bass — low music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mug — a face
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. land — a country
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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