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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: temple · bowl · bat · leaves · patient · root · date · drill

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. drill — the tool
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — of a word
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. drill — a practice
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. drill — army training
  23. temple — side of the head
  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