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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: kid · current · temple · pound · foot · bound · tear · face

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. current — electric
  7. pound — a weight
  8. current — of water
  9. face — to confront
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. face — part of the head
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. foot — a measure
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. current — happening now
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bound — tied together

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