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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — a box
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — the season
  15. hand — help
  16. craft — boats
  17. firm — a company
  18. fall — to drop
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mug — a face
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — to shout

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