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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · pop · calf · hide · sharp · bark · kid · temple

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. kid — child
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bark — to shout
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. sharp — clever
  9. field — a subject
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. field — for sport
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. field — farmland
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hide — to keep secret

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