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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 116 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: kid · lean · bear · spring · root · dip · leaves · straw

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spring — of water
  8. lean — to bend
  9. root — the cause
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. root — of a word
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spring — the season
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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