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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bark — to shout
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wax — to grow
  14. craft — boats
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rest — a break
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. temple — side of the head

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