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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cell — in biology
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. track — a song
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cell — a phone
  18. plane — a tool
  19. track — a path
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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