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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: rush · fall · temple · trunk · band · date · cell · bass

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fall — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a music group
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. band — a ring
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bass — low music
  24. fall — to drop

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