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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: board · temple · content · date · bear · clip · kid · tube

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. clip — for paper
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bear — the animal
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — happy
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — the underground
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. clip — a video
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — to get on
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. board — a committee
  23. tube — a container
  24. content — the amount

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