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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: bound · patient · temple · scale · bay · stick · bat · date

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bound — certain
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bat — the animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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