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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — to come down
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. mine — for digging
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rash — a series
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. court — of a king
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. court — for sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. court — of law
  24. bank — for money

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