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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.

Make a worksheet

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: band · bark · straw · temple · leaves · march · dip · scale

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. scale — in music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. march — music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. scale — size or range
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. temple — side of the head
  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