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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: bark · kid · plane · lie · wind · leaves · craft · temple

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bark — to shout
  6. kid — child
  7. craft — a skill
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lie — to recline
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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