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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: toast · wound · bark · lash · temple · bass · pass · mate

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mate — to breed
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pass — a permit
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. toast — bread
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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