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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: club · tear · temple · saw · date · staff · cabinet · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. club — for golf
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tear — from crying
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tear — to rip
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. date — the fruit
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — the tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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