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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. capital — a city
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rest — a break
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. kid — to tease
  23. capital — money
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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