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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. branch — a division
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bulb — for light
  21. track — to keep track
  22. row — a line
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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