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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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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: mate · temple · field · cabinet · rest · wave · swing · date

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. field — a subject
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — for sport
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rest — a break
  15. mate — to breed
  16. field — farmland
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. swing — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cabinet — ministers

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