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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mine — for digging
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — goods
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ground — a position

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