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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 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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. lean — to bend
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. branch — a division
  10. craft — a skill
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. craft — boats
  13. chest — of your body
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chest — of your body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. lean — thin
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chest — a box

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