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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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 — a place of worship
  3. cue — a hint
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cue — for pool
  11. branch — a division
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cue — a signal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. calf — a young animal

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