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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: object · temple · ground · bay · bark · mine · net · row

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. ground — crushed
  7. net — in sport
  8. row — a line
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. ground — a position
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bark — to shout
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. net — for catching
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bark — of a tree

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