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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: pass · chest · temple · mug · drill · land · bark · rash

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mug — a face
  3. land — to come down
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rash — a series
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pass — a permit
  8. land — ground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mug — to rob
  13. chest — a box
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. drill — a practice
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. drill — army training
  23. chest — of your body
  24. land — a country

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