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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — to breed
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mate — a friend
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spell — magic
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spell — letters
  22. bank — for money
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rash — a series

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