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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: temple · cabinet · hide · march · press · cold · bark · stem

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. press — a publisher
  5. march — the month
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cold — not warm
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cold — an illness
  18. march — music
  19. press — to push
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — the month
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. press — newspapers

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