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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: temple · date · march · row · lie · trunk · bay · leaves

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. march — the month
  8. date — the fruit
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lie — to recline
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. march — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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