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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — for paper
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. calf — a young animal

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