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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
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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: bark · temple · field · clip · rush · rule · dip · present

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. present — a gift
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. clip — a video
  10. present — there
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. field — for sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. field — a subject
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bark — to shout
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. present — the time now
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. field — farmland

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