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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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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: bark · game · band · roll · kick · lean · patient · kid

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. roll — a cake
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lean — thin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. band — a music group
  8. kid — to tease
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. band — a ring
  19. kid — child
  20. bark — to shout
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lean — to rest against
  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