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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: bat · bark · wake · present · bank · last · chest · temple

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chest — a box
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — final
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — to go on
  9. present — there
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bat — the animal
  13. present — a gift
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. present — the time now
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bank — of a river
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bank — for money

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