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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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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: lash · board · temple · game · bark · cabinet · cold · trunk

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. board — a committee
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. game — a match
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. board — to get on
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. board — a flat piece

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