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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: bark · pit · craft · temple · row · lean · bore · vault

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — thin
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pit — in a race
  7. craft — boats
  8. row — a line
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bore — to tire
  13. lean — to bend
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. craft — a skill
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bore — to drill
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pit — a hole

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