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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: bark · chair · race · jam · branch · row · pop · temple

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. race — a contest
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. branch — a division
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pop — soda
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. race — humankind
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pop — to visit
  17. race — the arms race
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. row — a quarrel

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