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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 120 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: bark · tube · last · rash · fall · key · wake · temple

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — final
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. key — for a lock
  13. last — finally
  14. key — in music
  15. fall — the season
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rash — a series
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wake — a trail
  24. last — to go on

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