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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: jam · temple · wound · land · season · tube · racket · date

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. land — to come down
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. tube — the underground
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. season — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. date — the fruit
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — an injury
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. land — ground
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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