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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: kick · rush · drill · snap · bound · bark · temple · leaves

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. rush — hurry
  5. drill — a practice
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. drill — army training
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bound — tied together
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bound — certain
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bark — to shout

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