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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: perch · temple · dip · game · lash · clip · bark · cabinet

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. clip — a video
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a match
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. dip — to sink
  15. clip — for paper
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. perch — the fish
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bark — to shout
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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