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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: cue · leaves · race · date · pound · band · temple · land

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — to come down
  5. band — a ring
  6. race — humankind
  7. cue — a hint
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cue — a signal
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. date — the fruit
  13. band — a music group
  14. land — a country
  15. race — a contest
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pound — a weight
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. land — ground
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cue — for pool

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