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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: cap · content · tube · staff · bark · season · march · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. march — music
  3. season — of the year
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. content — happy
  8. season — in sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bark — to shout
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. content — the amount
  22. tube — a container
  23. cap — a lid
  24. staff — a stick

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