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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bark · court · bound · kick · fan · bowl · trunk · temple

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bound — certain
  7. kick — in football
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. court — for sport
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bound — obliged
  18. court — of law
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. court — of a king
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bound — tied together
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fan — a supporter

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