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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: snap · kick · rash · prune · row · bark · season · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. season — of the year
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. prune — to trim
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rash — a series
  14. kick — in football
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. row — a line
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rash — hasty
  22. snap — to click
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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