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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: bark · object · mouse · capital · foot · tear · temple · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bark — to shout
  3. object — to protest
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. present — there
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. object — an aim
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. foot — a measure
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. object — a thing
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — the time now
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  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