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

Word bank: mug · lash · cell · temple · date · straw

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — a phone
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cell — in biology
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mug — a cup
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mug — a face
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mug — to rob
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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