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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: cell · straw · temple · mug · saw · swing · bark · leaves

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cell — a phone
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mug — a face
  10. cell — in biology
  11. swing — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — a cup
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. swing — in golf
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. saw — the tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bark — of a tree

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