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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: bore · patient · spell · date · leaves · mine · temple · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pop — soda
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mine — for digging
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. date — the fruit
  17. spell — letters
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bore — to tire
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pop — to visit
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mine — belonging to me

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