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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: temple · bark · cue · wave · track · bound · fall · hand

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. hand — help
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cue — a hint
  12. track — a song
  13. fall — the season
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — certain
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. track — a path

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