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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.

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: bay · drill · temple · bark · coach · march · lie · ground

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lie — to recline
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — music
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. drill — army training
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. march — the month

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