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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: club · temple · mate · date · trunk · season · can · bore

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — of the year
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mate — to breed
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bore — to drill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. club — a group
  11. can — a tin
  12. mate — a friend
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. club — for golf
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. season — in sport
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. temple — a place of worship

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