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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wound — an injury
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. field — for sport

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