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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: land · bark · bound · cue · temple · cabinet · straw · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. ground — the earth
  6. land — to come down
  7. ground — a position
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bound — tied together
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. land — a country
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cue — a signal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. land — ground
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cue — a hint
  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