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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: cell · roll · ball · pitcher · temple · bark · mine · current

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — electric
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ball — a dance
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. roll — a list
  15. current — of water
  16. cell — a phone
  17. current — happening now
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ball — a great time

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