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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: field · roll · bark · pop · firm · branch · temple · rest

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. firm — decided
  3. field — a subject
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. field — for sport
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — farmland
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pop — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rest — a break
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pop — to visit
  20. firm — a company
  21. branch — a division
  22. pop — soda
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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