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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: jam · club · hide · squash · bark · board · temple · clip

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. board — to get on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. club — for golf
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. club — for dancing
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. clip — a video
  17. club — a group
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. board — a committee
  20. clip — to cut
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bark — to shout
  23. jam — in traffic
  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