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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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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rock — music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rash — a series
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lean — thin
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. leaves — lets stay

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