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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chair — a leader
  10. file — a tool
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. file — a document
  19. tear — from crying
  20. file — a line of people
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. patient — a sick person

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