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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: chair · wound · content · firm · pass · temple · spell · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. spell — letters
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — magic
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. content — the amount
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. firm — a company
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. firm — steady
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. firm — decided
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. content — happy
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pass — a permit

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