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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: land · date · temple · hide · band · mate · current · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. stock — shares
  4. mate — to breed
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. land — ground
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. date — the fruit
  17. land — a country
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — to come down
  22. current — electric
  23. band — a music group
  24. mate — a partner

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