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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: kid · face · stand · row · mine · dip · bark · bear

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. row — a line
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stand — to bear
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bark — to shout
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bear — to put up with

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