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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: stem · court · mine · temple · hide · bark · row · rest

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — of a king
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rest — a break
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hide — animal skin

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