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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: temple · spell · pit · bark · ground · board · lash · stick

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — to get on
  8. ground — a position
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spell — magic
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pit — a hole
  15. ground — the earth
  16. board — a committee
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bark — to shout
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spell — letters

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