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

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. charge — electricity
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. prune — to trim
  7. charge — in control
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. charge — a price
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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