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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: staff · sharp · temple · pass · tube · wound · date · field

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. field — a subject
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. staff — employees
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. staff — employees
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — for sport
  18. pass — a permit
  19. field — farmland
  20. staff — a stick
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. sharp — clever
  24. date — the fruit

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