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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bark · arm · bass · mine · court · staff · row · temple

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bark — to shout
  5. staff — a stick
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. court — for sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. staff — employees
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. row — a line
  24. temple — side of the head

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