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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: arm · temple · root · mine · bark · bowl · mark · suit

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. root — the cause
  11. mark — a grade
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mark — a trace
  18. suit — clothes
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bark — to shout
  21. root — of a word
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. suit — in cards
  24. temple — a place of worship

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