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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
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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: staff · lie · date · temple · bark · mine · bulb · field

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. field — a subject
  4. mine — for digging
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. lie — to recline
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. field — for sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. field — farmland
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bulb — for light
  24. date — the fruit

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