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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. drill — a practice
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. branch — a division
  8. rock — music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. drill — army training
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rock — a stone
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ground — a position
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chip — for betting
  20. drill — the tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. temple — a place of worship

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