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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 · season · wound · temple · mate · spring · roll · date

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. club — for golf
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. roll — a list
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mate — a friend
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — of the year
  18. roll — a cake
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. season — in sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. mate — to breed

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