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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: bear · chest · stand · temple · bark · spell · patient · wake

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. spell — a short time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spell — magic
  11. bark — to shout
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chest — a box
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. bear — the animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wake — a trail
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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