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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lean — to bend
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tear — to rip
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — child
  12. lean — thin
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kid — to tease

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