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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: field · bark · club · bat · temple · bear · key · branch

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. key — the most important part
  4. field — for sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. club — a group
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. field — a subject
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. key — in music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. club — for golf
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bark — to shout
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. field — farmland
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bear — the animal

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