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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: cap · club · wax · temple · cell · mate · date · bore

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — a hat
  4. club — for golf
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wax — to grow
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bore — to tire
  11. club — a group
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cell — in biology
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. temple — a place of worship

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