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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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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: last · perch · plane · bay · bark · temple · racket · rule

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. last — finally
  4. perch — the fish
  5. last — to go on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rule — a law
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. plane — a tool
  22. last — final
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rule — government

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