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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: temple · bark · wound · spell · root · chip · prune · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. spell — magic
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spell — letters
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spell — a short time
  12. prune — to trim
  13. root — of a plant
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — of a word
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. root — the cause
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chip — for betting

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