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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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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 · race · perch · date · content · fork · branch · bark

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. race — humankind
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fork — in a road
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. content — the amount
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — a contest
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bark — to shout
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. content — happy

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