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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: date · tear · temple · dip · scale · wind · mine · nail

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. date — the fruit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — in music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wind — moving air
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tear — from crying
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tear — to rip
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. scale — size or range
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wind — moving air
  24. temple — side of the head

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