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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: cell · date · roll · pop · fork · temple · chest · branch

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. date — the fruit
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a list
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pop — music
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pop — soda
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. chest — a box
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. branch — a division
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fork — in a road
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. roll — a cake
  24. date — on the calendar

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