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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · fork · hide · bound · tear · temple

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fork — in a road
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kick — a thrill

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