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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 120 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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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: bowl · tear · bark · wave · temple · board · leaves · foot

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. board — a committee
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. board — to get on
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tear — from crying

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