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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: temple · dip · kid · fall · date · lie · branch · face

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — child
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lie — to recline
  10. face — part of the head
  11. kid — to tease
  12. face — to confront
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fall — the season

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