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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: date · cold · temple · wake · bank · dip · degree · calf

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — from a university
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bank — of a river
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bank — for money
  19. dip — to sink
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. degree — an amount
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — temperature
  24. temple — side of the head

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