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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. date — the fruit
  3. swing — to play on
  4. last — to go on
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lean — thin
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. last — finally
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. swing — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. last — final
  24. nail — on a finger

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