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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: squash · temple · bark · chest · row · lie · leaves · charge

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bark — to shout
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. charge — electricity
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chest — of your body
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chest — of your body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. charge — a price
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chest — a box
  20. squash — to crush
  21. charge — in control
  22. lie — to recline
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. leaves — of a tree

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