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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: band · roll · temple · date · cell · court · bark · pop

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. date — the fruit
  4. court — of a king
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. roll — a cake
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. roll — a list
  13. bark — to shout
  14. band — a music group
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. court — for sport
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. pop — soda
  19. court — of law
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pop — music
  24. band — a ring

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