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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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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: perch · straw · temple · last · date · rock

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. last — final
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. perch — the fish
  10. last — finally
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. last — to go on
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — music
  18. date — the fruit

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