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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. rest — what's left
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of law
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rest — a break
  12. branch — a division
  13. rest — what's left
  14. court — for sport
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kid — child
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chest — a box
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of a king
  23. chest — of your body
  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