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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: cell · march · spring · bark · temple · date · bear · cabinet

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spring — of water
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. spring — the season
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — a coil
  18. march — music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. march — the month
  21. bear — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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