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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: hand · present · mug · bark · mine · mark · date · temple

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. present — a gift
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mark — a grade
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. date — the fruit
  13. present — there
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. present — the time now
  16. hand — help
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mine — for digging
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mug — a cup
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mug — a face
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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