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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: bark · mate · clip · wax · track · temple · date · arm

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wax — to grow
  4. clip — a video
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mate — a friend
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. date — the fruit
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. bark — to shout
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mate — to breed
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. track — to keep track
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mate — a partner

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