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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 · pop · arm · band · mate · chest · patient · temple

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chest — a box
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. band — a ring
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mate — a partner
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a music group
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pop — soda
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pop — to visit
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mate — a friend
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. temple — side of the head

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