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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · temple · lean · shower · date · mouse · degree · band

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. date — the fruit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. band — a ring
  10. degree — temperature
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. degree — from a university
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. band — a music group
  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