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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: bay · temple · branch · key · present · date · wind · kid

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kid — child
  4. present — there
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. present — the time now
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wind — moving air
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. present — a gift
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. key — in music
  23. temple — side of the head
  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