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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: staff · hand · nail · track · perch · bark · bound · temple

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — help
  5. staff — employees
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — in cards
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bark — to shout
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — a song
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. track — to keep track
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — the fish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — tied together
  24. perch — for a bird

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