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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · temple · degree · file · bark · last · season · can

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. file — a tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. last — to go on
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. season — in sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. can — to be able to
  23. season — of the year
  24. fork — in a road

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