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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: fall · hide · temple · net · bark · straw · clip · bear

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bark — to shout
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. clip — a video
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — to cut
  13. net — for catching
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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