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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cold — not warm
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cold — an illness
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bark — to shout
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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