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

Word bank: roll · leaves · season · kick · wind · kid · nail · rest

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. roll — a list
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kick — in football
  13. rest — a break
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. kid — to tease
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — of the year
  23. roll — a cake
  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