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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: row · roll · bowl · date · temple · trunk · tear · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. tear — to rip
  13. row — a line
  14. roll — a cake
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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