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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — a position
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bulb — for light
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ground — crushed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. ground — the earth

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