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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · cold · pop · board · press · straw · temple · bark

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pop — soda
  7. board — a committee
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. press — to push
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cold — an illness
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. straw — a straw man
  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