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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: mate · temple · land · file · bat · branch · lie · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. file — a line of people
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. land — ground
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — a country
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. file — a tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a document
  21. mate — a partner
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bat — in an idiom

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