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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 120 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: safe · bark · clip · coach · row · bound · temple · rule

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bound — obliged
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. row — to paddle
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rule — government
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bound — certain
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bound — tied together
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rule — a law
  22. clip — a video
  23. row — a line
  24. temple — a place of worship

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