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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 120 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: arm · bark · bowl · temple · march · fall · fine · dip

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — to drop
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. march — the month
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fall — the season
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. march — music
  17. fine — all right
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bark — to shout
  24. temple — a place of worship

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