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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.

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: kick · track · press · fall · bark · temple · land · ground

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. fall — the season
  12. ground — crushed
  13. land — to come down
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. press — to push
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. press — newspapers
  23. kick — in football
  24. track — to keep track

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