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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: vault · fan · temple · bank · wax · march · date · last

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. last — to go on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — a safe
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — finally
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. bank — for money
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. last — final
  17. bank — of a river
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. date — the fruit
  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