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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: roll · fork · rash · straw · temple · board · date · fall

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. board — to get on
  4. fall — to drop
  5. board — a committee
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fall — to drop
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fall — the season
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fork — in a road
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. roll — a list
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — a garden tool

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