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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · root · row · land · bark · lie · press · squash

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. root — of a word
  7. lie — to recline
  8. root — of a plant
  9. press — to push
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. root — the cause
  14. row — to paddle
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. land — to come down
  18. row — a line
  19. press — a publisher
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. press — newspapers
  24. squash — to crush

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