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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: trunk · rule · bowl · pound · dip · row · temple · date

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rule — government
  3. row — a line
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. dip — to sink
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pound — a weight
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. row — to paddle
  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