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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: temple · date · pit · bank · wind · march · shower · calf

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pit — in a race
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — a hole
  9. shower — rain
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bank — for money
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — the month

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