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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 120 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: bass · kick · current · temple · prune · bowl · bark · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kid — to tease
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — to shout
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. kid — child
  20. kick — in football
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. prune — the fruit

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