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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: club · leaves · bark · temple · fine · key · chest · season

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. season — of the year
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. club — for golf
  6. key — in music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. key — the most important part
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — a group
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bark — to shout
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fine — all right
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fine — high quality
  23. season — in sport
  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