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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: club · bark · march · sharp · spell · rush · temple · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — hurry
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. present — there
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. present — the time now
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. club — a group
  24. sharp — exactly

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