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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: clip · lean · firm · fork · ruler · kid · cell · bear

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. firm — decided
  7. clip — a video
  8. lean — thin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. clip — to cut
  12. kid — child
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bear — the animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cell — a phone
  22. firm — a company
  23. fork — in a road
  24. lean — to bend

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