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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fork — in a road
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — to trim
  14. suit — in cards
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. suit — to fit
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — shares
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. suit — clothes
  22. stock — goods
  23. prune — to trim
  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