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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: lean · clip · temple · cabinet · trunk · bowl · bark · root

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lean — to bend
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. root — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — to shout
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lean — thin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. clip — to cut
  19. root — the cause
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. clip — a video
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — to roll

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