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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: shower · arm · nail · content · safe · temple · hide · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. shower — rain
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. content — the amount
  10. shower — to wash
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. content — happy
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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