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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: bound · deal · cold · trunk · lean · leaves · temple · kid

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cold — an illness
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bound — obliged
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cold — not warm
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bound — certain
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lean — thin
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — to bend
  22. deal — to handle
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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