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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — final
  5. lean — to bend
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kid — to tease
  9. board — a committee
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. last — to go on
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kid — child
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. board — to get on
  24. last — finally

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