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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 120 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: firm · content · bark · shower · rush · trunk · scale · temple

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — a company
  5. scale — size or range
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. content — happy
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. content — the amount
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bark — to shout
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. shower — rain
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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