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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. kick — in football
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. saw — the tool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. track — a song
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. foot — a measure
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. spring — of water
  24. track — to keep track

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