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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: bark · temple · rock · lie · dip · chest · mark · kick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. kick — in football
  6. mark — a trace
  7. chest — of your body
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rock — a stone
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chest — a box
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rock — music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — a sauce

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