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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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. kick — with a leg
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. field — farmland
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. kid — child
  15. branch — a division
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. field — a subject
  18. object — a thing
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. object — an aim
  21. kid — to tease
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. kick — in football
  24. object — to protest

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