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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. board — a committee
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. board — to get on
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to click
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wound — an injury

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