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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: root · chest · row · craft · season · mark · bark · temple

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. root — the cause
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. craft — a skill
  12. row — to paddle
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. root — of a word
  15. chest — a box
  16. row — a line
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chest — of your body
  21. craft — boats
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. root — of a plant

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