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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: row · kid · mate · kick · tear · temple · lean · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. row — to paddle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. swing — music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — a line
  20. kick — in football
  21. kid — child
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kid — to tease

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