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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: hand · coach · rash · saw · bark · temple · degree · rock

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rash — hasty
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rock — music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bark — to shout

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