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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: mate · temple · date · coach · kid · prune · leaves · field

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. prune — to trim
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. field — a subject
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mate — to breed
  14. field — for sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. kid — child
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. field — farmland
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. prune — to trim
  24. coach — a trainer

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