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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bank — of a river
  10. kid — to tease
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. kick — in football
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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