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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · row · safe · staff · lean · date · temple · cold

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. staff — employees
  11. lean — to bend
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lean — thin
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. row — a line
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. date — the fruit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. row — to paddle

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