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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: date · fall · scale · foot · temple · craft · fork · dip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. craft — a skill
  5. scale — size or range
  6. craft — boats
  7. foot — a measure
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fall — to drop
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. date — the fruit
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. scale — in music
  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