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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 · object · rush · bark · march · suit · spell · chest

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. suit — to fit
  7. march — the month
  8. object — an aim
  9. spell — letters
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. object — to protest
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. suit — clothes
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — of your body
  17. spell — magic
  18. object — a thing
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. spell — a short time
  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