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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. can — to be able to
  6. track — to keep track
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. shower — to wash
  9. track — a path
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. can — a tin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. shower — rain
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. can — a tin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. track — a song
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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