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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — a thing
  4. present — a gift
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. object — an aim
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. present — the time now
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. present — there
  24. object — to protest

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