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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: bear · bulb · temple · rush · date · mate · chest · pound

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rush — hurry
  17. chest — a box
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mate — a partner
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. date — on the calendar

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