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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: temple · bay · bark · season · object · cold · bank · shower

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. shower — rain
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. object — an aim
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bank — of a river
  15. season — of the year
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bark — to shout
  18. object — a thing
  19. season — in sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. shower — to wash
  22. object — to protest
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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