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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. branch — a division
  3. cap — a lid
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. chest — a box
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ball — a great time
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cap — a hat
  23. ball — a dance
  24. arm — a part of something

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