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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 · hide · lie · clip · wave · temple · toast · track

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. track — a path
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. track — a song
  8. clip — for paper
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. clip — a video
  11. toast — bread
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bark — to shout
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lie — to recline
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. track — to keep track

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