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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: temple · present · deal · straw · kid · spell · rock · bark

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. present — the time now
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — child
  11. present — there
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rock — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spell — letters
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spell — a short time
  18. present — a gift
  19. bark — to shout
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rock — a stone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rock — to move gently

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