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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: bark · content · tear · temple · field · hide · pit · staff

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. content — happy
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — to shout
  8. staff — a stick
  9. tear — to rip
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pit — in a race
  13. staff — employees
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. field — for sport
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — a subject
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pit — a hole
  23. content — the amount
  24. staff — employees

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