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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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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 · row · snap · firm · fall · track · lash

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. track — a song
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. firm — a company
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fall — the season
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bark — to shout
  13. firm — steady
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — a path
  23. snap — to click
  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