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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · leaves · kick · hand · lean · degree · game · bank

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lean — thin
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. degree — an amount
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bank — of a river
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — a match
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lean — to bend
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bank — for money
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. degree — temperature
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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