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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · date · stem · vault · rule · bark

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rule — a law
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rule — government
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stem — to come from
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rule — to rule out

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