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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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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: coach · mate · bark · temple · branch · cold · rest · mug

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rest — what's left
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — a division
  5. mug — a face
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mug — a cup
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rest — a break
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mate — a partner
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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